


when time dictates love

by nicolorenaldigenovia



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Death from Old Age, Friendship, Growing Old Together, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Love never dies, M/M, POV Outsider, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicolorenaldigenovia/pseuds/nicolorenaldigenovia
Summary: "So not ugly,” Sebastien says, and Aidan looks at Mr. Copley, who just shrugs, smiling.“He is insufferable. Does he know this?” he says, and the man just smiles, both of them ignoring how Sebastien says ‘hey!’.“He does,” Mr. Copley whispers, and he says, and Sebastien’s fingers intertwine with his atop his knee, and Aidan looks away.“But you like him anyway,” he says instead.Mr. Copley chuckles, and he leans to press a kiss on Sebastien’s forehead, who’s no longer laughing.“Yes, but I like him anyway.”---or a home-care worker witnesses Booker and Copley’s last year together, as time catches up on them
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/James Copley
Comments: 21
Kudos: 180





	when time dictates love

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a prompt for the lovely elenorasweet! 
> 
> Please heed the tags, this does contain **major character death** , as it deals with love between a mortal and an immortal.

Aidan’s not surprised when he sees him there again. He grabs his backpack for his break and sits beside the man, whose bowed over in his regular position of grieving family member.

“Seb, he’s not going to wake up until tomorrow morning,” he says, and honestly, he’s said this to him many times, especially in the last year. And the answer has always been a weary look and a sigh, before he leans back on the seat and turns to Aidan, smirking.

“I know. But I’d like to stay anyways,” he says, and Aidan sighs.

“Going for sandwiches for dinner tonight. Want yours?” he asks, and Seb laughs weakly, like he always does.

“Gonna keep me company, Aidan?” he asks, and Aidan snorts, standing up as Seb hands him cash. The last time he paid for the food, Seb balled up a hundred-dollar bill and kept throwing it at his head until he took it.

“Well, it is my shift and I do love Mr. Copley,” he says, before smirking. “So yes, I’ll be keeping you company.”

“And what does Anders think of that, huh?” Seb asks as Aidan walks away, smirking at him.

“He’s fine with it because my dear husband thinks you’re hot,” he says, laughing at the sputtering noises that escapes the man, and Aidan’s just glad that he’s still laughing.

Because there’s nothing more tragic than Seb and Mr. Copley.

\---

Mr. Copley is 89 years old when they meet. He’s been at the shelter for a few years already before Aidan started working there two years ago.

The man is sweet, with a soft disposition about him and heavy shoulders that seemed to have carried so much for too long. But even at his age, he was enthusiastic, and friendly, and would tell Aidan a story or two when he has some down time, or if Aidan decides to take his break inside.

He always has the best nuggets, too.

“Aidan, whatever you do,” he said, out of the blue once, almost a year in, making Aidan look up from his work of preparing his meal. “Never fuck with a woman with an axe,” he says, and the laughter that comes from him is choking, because _what the fuck_?

“What happens if I do, Mr. Copley?” he asks then, bringing his tray closer, and sitting beside him. The man just grins to him then, and his voice takes a soft cadence, like he’s remembering.

“Well, if you’re lucky, it might lead you to a whole new adventure,” he says, and Aidan hums then, watching his face.

“Did you fall in love with her? In this adventure?” he asks, and Mr. Copley smirks, shaking his head.

“I did,” he says softly. “But not with her.”

Aidan whistles then, and grins. “So who did you fell in love with? Another woman?”

Mr. Copley narrows his eyes then, tutting. “Anders would not be impressed,” he says then, having already met his husband once.

“ _He_ ,” he emphasizes, putting a hand on his chest, as he continues. “Was my second chance.”

“So, he was good?”

“Ah, very good. Indeed.”

\---

Aidan meets Seb in stages, just a few days after the axe story.

“I haven’t seen his stepson in a while,” says one of the nurses, and she’s not even trying very hard to keep her voice down. There’s three of them huddled together at the communal kitchen, while he makes his third cup of coffee.

“I don’t think he was married to his lover, so can you say stepson?”

“They have the same last name, idiot.”

“Whatever he is, he’s hot.”

“Looks like a sad fuck though.”

Aidan clears his throat then, because that conversation is just devolving. “I’m looking after Mr. Copley tonight. I didn’t know he had a son,” he says, voice firm, and the nurses all turn to him. One has the decency to look embarrassed, while the other two just looks annoyed at being interrupted.

“Uh, yeah. Sebastien Copley. Uh, you’ll see. He’s his only visitor really. Works a lot, barely has time. He’s been gone for most of the year,” she explains, motioning him to follow her.

Aidan does, coffee half made. When they get to the hallway, the nurse sighs. “Sorry about that,” she mutters, and he shrugs.

“You’re not the first nurses I’ve heard thirst over next of kins. Try to be quiet next time,” he says, and she flushes red, walking over to the computer.

“He sent a message this morning, saying that he’ll be here by tonight. There’s a badge for him already,” she says, clicking away to pull up Sebastien’s. “Ah, here. So you know what he looks like,” she says, and Aidan nods, just staring without a word.

Ah, so that’s where the confusion lies. “Step son then,” he says, and the woman shrugs.

“Or something.”

“He does look sad though,” he adds, and the nurse just nods.

“He does.”

When he walks into Mr. Copley’s room that night, Sebastien is already there, sitting beside Mr. Copley, his hand on the elderly man’s lap while he holds it in both of his. They’re speaking in low voices, and Mr. Copley is smiling. And really, so was Sebastien. It’s small, but it’s there, his eyes shining as he listens.

Aidan backs away then, not wanting to interrupt, his heart tugging a little as he looks at them.

Or something, indeed.

\---

It takes another visit for Aidan to actually talk to Sebastien, and he ends up taking a flask from him and throwing it off his shoulder, and out the literal door of the building.

“Get off with that bullshit,” Aidan says firmly as the man blinks up, not expecting his lovely, lovely welcome.

“Kid, what the heck?” Sebastien says, looking back outside, no doubt looking for his flask.

“I don’t care if you ruin your life with that shit out there, but when you’re here, visiting, going near _my_ patients, that thing stays _out_ ,” he says, crossing his arms, and the man frowns, stepping forward now, as he straightens and god it’s amazing what posture can do to a person.

Because this man is towering over him now, but Aidan doesn’t give a fuck and looks up at him.

“You’re the first one to care about that,” Sebastien says, and Aidan narrows his eyes.

“I’m not scared to talk to pretty boys with issues, not like the rest of the nurses here,” he says, taking a step back to turn and get back to his duties. “So, take the issues and leave it outside, Sebastien,” he yells as he walks away.

“You think I’m pretty?” he hears, and Aidan growls, tugging at his hair and pulling his hair in a messy bun.

“Momentary blindness!” he exclaims back, and hears a chuckle, and snort, and honestly, Aidan feels satisfied.

When he enters Mr. Copley’s room that night, they’re both waiting for him, identical, shit-eating grins on their faces. Aidan makes a point of doing curtsey, making the both of them laugh.

“Seb tells me that you think he’s pretty,” Mr. Copley says, reaching for his hand, and Aidan takes it gently, squeezing it.

“I went blind for a second,” he says, and the man laughs again, his frail hand shaking in his. “I think it’s fatal, Mr. Copley, please tell my Anders I love him,” he says, and Sebastien just loses it then, bending over as he laughs, his hand on his knee.

Aidan sees Mr. Copley turn to Sebastien then, and he smiles, watching him under heavy lids, his other hand that’s not holding is moving, pressing atop of the one on his knee.

“Didn’t I tell you that Aidan is the best?” he says, and Sebastien grins, wiping tears from his eyes, like it’s the first time he’s laughed in years.

“You did, you did James,” he says, looking at Aidan then, his eyes still shining.

“Even if he thinks I’m ugly.”

Aidan rolls his eyes, patting Mr. Copley’s hand as he lets it go. “I told you, I went blind.”

“So not ugly,” Sebastien says, and Aidan looks at Mr. Copley, who just shrugs, smiling.

“He is insufferable. Does he know this?” he says, and the man just smiles, both of them ignoring how Sebastien says ‘hey!’

“He does,” Mr. Copley whispers, and he says, and Sebastien’s fingers intertwine with his atop his knee, and Aidan looks away.

“But you like him anyway,” he says instead.

Mr. Copley chuckles, and he leans to press a kiss on Sebastien’s forehead, who’s no longer laughing.

“Yes, but I like him anyway.”

\---

Months go on, and Aidan becomes fast friends with Sebastien, to the point that he’s just Seb. They get close enough that Seb somewhat becomes part of his life outside of work, meeting his husband for dinner one particularly boring night.

“Your dad has the best stories, you know?” Anders says, after a bite. He’s a doctor, and he assists at the home sometimes, when they need more hands. “Actually, they’re more like sayings. It’s wild.”

“Oh yeah?” Seb mutters, eyes on his plate, and Aidan watches him closely.

“Yeah like, ‘Never fuck with a woman with an axe?’ That’s classic. What does that even mean?” Anders continues, and Aidan sighs, leaning over him and pressing a kiss on his temple.

“A start of an adventure, remember?”

“Yeah, but that part! What’s it mean?” Anders says, and Seb just hums.

“Would you fuck with anyone with an axe?” he asks, and Anders shakes his head immediately.

“Hell no.”

“Then there you go,” he says, simply, leaning back and drinking his beer. There’s a faraway look in his eyes that Aidan can’t place, but his heart aches for him.

When Anders looks ready to continue, Aidan squeezes thigh under the table in warning. And being the good husband, he is, he lets it go without much fanfare.

And of course, months going on means time is not stopping. And when time doesn’t stop, it starts to run out for people around them.

It happens differently for everyone, but there’s always one thing that goes first.

For Mr. Copley, it’s his memory, fading with time in the middle of dinner with Aidan and Sebastien beside him.

“Thank you, Aidan,” he says, after he finishes his bite. Aidan smiles.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Copley.”

Seb helps him with his water ten, and after, Mr. Copley hums, leaning back into his bed with a sigh.

“Thank you, Booker,” he says, after a moment, and Seb flinches so hard, he drops the glass.

\---

Like what tends to happen, Mr. Copley deteriorates from there.

Aidan starts to spend less time with them when he’s coherent enough to be awake to talk to Seb. Or to Booker, rather, to give them some semblance of privacy.

Not long after this, does Aidan start seeing Seb on the waiting hall by the rooms, when he’s not allowed to see Mr. Copley because he’s too ill to receive anyone. At first, Aidan would just sit with him, and Seb would cry.

Slowly, Aidan makes it part of his routine, if Mr. Copley can’t receive him that day. Because Seb just keeps appearing regardless, and Aidan’s his friend at this point, and he wasn’t going to leave him in his grief.

That’s how they got to this part, with Aidan walking back to work from the shop, two sandwiches in hand and a couple of drinks.

He flops down beside Sebastien then, and hands him his sandwich like always. The man takes it with a soft thanks, sighing softly.

“Do you have other family?” he asks, deciding to bite the bullet then. He’s been meaning to ask this for a while now, with Mr. Copley going the way he is.

“No…it’s just us,” Seb mutters around his sandwich, sniffling. The pulls the sandwich back with a sigh, and looks down.

“Do you need help?” Aidan asks, voice soft. Sometimes people past and the relatives don’t know what to do, and Aidan has made it a point to ask ever since seeing one of his patient’s grand-daughter going through a checklist that the funeral director gave her.

No one should ever have to go through this alone.

“It’s alright,” Seb whispers, and when he looks up, he’s crying. “I’ve done this before,” he says, chuckling bitterly. “Multiple times.”

Aidan’s heart breaks for him, and he puts a hand on his shoulder. There’s something old and terrifying in his words, and he can’t place it, but he doesn’t want it. Not for his friend.

“Take my help, pretty boy,” he says as he squeezes, and Seb laughs weakly, nodding shakily, letting Aidan wrap his arms around his shoulders and lets him weep.

\---

When the time comes, Aidan’s passing by the room.

Seb’s been at his side for two days, and no one had the heart to pull him away. And when anyone tried, Aidan was there to stop them. 

So he’s not surprised to see him there, crying openly, leaning over Mr. Copley.

“I love you, Book,” he hears Mr. Copley say, and Seb just sobs, squeezing his hand. Then he leans in, and whispers something to Mr. Copley that he can’t hear, and does something that Aidan can’t see.

But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t know what was.

What they truly were.

Tears come to him before he can stop it, and Aidan reaches for the door, and closes it, to give them privacy.

He finds Seb outside the room, half an hour later. When he sees Aidan, his face crumples, and he just steps in and sighs, pulling him into his arms.

“You’re okay, Seb,” he whispers, hushing him, going to the floor with him when the man collapses, and starts to scream out his grief.

And as he holds him, as Aidan cries with him, whatever doubt he had on what they truly were dissipates, because he can’t help but think that this is how broken he’d be if he ever loses the love of his life.

\---

As he promised, Aidan helps Seb take care of everything.

Mr. Copley gets cremated, and Seb takes his ashes. They go out to dinner two days later, and tells him he’s leaving the city.

“There’s nothing here for me now,” he whispers, smiling weakly, and Aidan nods, understanding as they walk down the street, the restaurant behind them.

“Lots of places to go, for a pretty boy like you,” Aidan hums, and Seb just snorts, sighing.

“With all the fucking time in the world,” he says, and it makes Aidan pause.

“Yeah?” he whispers, looking at him now. Seb turns to him and stares, and then he blinks. 

“You never asked,” he says, and Aidan tilts his head. It’s met with a shrug, as Seb looks ahead again.

“About Booker.”

Oh.

“Should I?” he whispers, and again, another shrug.

“Most people would.” And honestly, he’s offended.

“I’m not most people,” Aidan bites back, and Seb snorts.

“No.”

He pauses then, atop a bridge and Aidan stands at his side for a second, before hooking arms with him, and Seb just lets him.

“Tell me about him,” he says. “Before you leave.”

“Booker?” Seb asks, and Aidan shakes his head.

“Mr. Copley.”

Seb grins then, and he’s smiling wide, blinking back tears. “You know, he told me what he told you.”

“About the axe lady?” he asks, and Seb laughs, and he’s crying as he does.

“Close. About his second chance,” he says, and Aidan grins too, in remembrance.

“He said he was very good,” he mutters, squeezing Seb’s arm then, and the man just shakes his head, sniffling as he continues to cry.

He looks like he’s thinking hard about something, like he wants to shout but he’s stopping himself. Aidan squeezes his arm again, reaching over to wipes his cheeks.

“Tell me, pretty boy,” he whines out, and Seb just laughs.

“Ah fuck it, kid. I still got eleven years,” Seb says with a smirk, whatever the fuck that means, and he exhales. And Aidan lets him, because he looks like he’s breathing for the first time since they met as he faces him, eyes shining.

“Then I might as well tell you about Booker.”

And Aidan learns that night, that Mr. Copley’s memory didn’t fade after all.

Instead, it came home, ready, to say forever with his love.


End file.
